Chrysler Sees 200,000 9-Speed Transmissions for 3 Models

Chrysler Group LLC may have as many
as 200,000 nine-speed transmissions available this year that
will eventually go in three new models, its chief executive
officer said.

The nine-speeds will go into the successor to the Jeep
Liberty, the new 200 midsize sedan and the Dodge Dart compact
sedan, CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters after a speech in
Detroit. The new Jeep will be first, followed by either the 200
or both the 200 and the Dart, he said. The Liberty replacement
is scheduled to begin shipping in the second quarter.

The nine-speed transmission is the “future of the front-
wheel drive and all-wheel drive world for Chrysler,” Marchionne
said today. Marchionne also heads Turin, Italy-based Fiat SpA (F),
Chrysler’s majority owner.

Marchionne is relying on Auburn Hills, Michigan-based
Chrysler to offset losses at Fiat’s mass-market brands in
Europe. He’s working to increase profit in the region before
merging the two automakers.

Powertrain issues hurt the Dart’s debut last year,
Marchionne said this week. Darts were initially shipped with
only manual transmissions, then with optional dry-dual clutch
automatic transmissions that, while popular in Europe, are
unfamiliar to Americans, he told reporters earlier this week in
Detroit.

Chrysler’s U.S. sales rose 21 percent last year, to 1.65
million deliveries. Chrysler, which was projected by analysts to
lose market share in 2012, increased annual sales more than any
major automaker other than Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Honda Motor
Co. (7267) during the year.